This invention relates to surgical apparatus and more particularly to a tissue retractor for use during arthroscopic surgery on the knee joint.
The arthroscope is a small telescope-like device which can be inserted through the skin into a knee joint permitting visualization of conditions within the knee joint. The development of the arthroscope has led to arthroscopic surgery in which only small punctures are made in the skin covering the knee joint. Arthroscopic surgery has several advantages such as rapid return to preoperative activity. The use of very small incisions is an obvious cosmetic advantage and this surgery has also resulted in low complication rates with very low incidence of infection.
Because only very small incisions are made during arthroscopic surgery, it is oftentimes difficult to grab small tags and tabs of tissue. It is generally desirable to place tissue under tension as a cut is being made so that the cut is straight and clean. Again, because of the small incisions, it is often difficult to apply the desired tension.
At the present time, there is a considerable effort devoted to repairing the meniscus arthroscopically. The meniscus is cartilege-like tissue within the knee joint. To date, however, the techniques for meniscus repair are cumbersome.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide surgical apparatus for use during arthroscopic surgery which is able to immobilize flaps and tags of tissue and put them under tension for cutting.
It is a further object of this invention to provide apparatus which can pull torn portions of meniscal tissue together to permit healing.
Yet another object of this invention is such apparatus which is inexpensive and easy to fabricate.
Still another object of the invention is such apparatus which is readily manipulated under arthroscopic visualization within the knee joint.